Karl Garrett
Tampa Bay (+130) at BOSTON
Saturday a free play winner on the Atlanta Hawks. Now 12-5 the last 17 days for free.
Guess what people, it is not the early 2000's anymore.
It is clear the Rays have no further mental issues when playing the Red Sox.
Yesterday, Tampa took the pair of games, and today they look for # 3 in a row against Boston.
Tampa Bay's overall win streak is at 5 games, while Boston has lost their last 3, and 7 of their last 10 since their opening night win over the Yankees.
I smell trouble in Beantown baby!
Matt Garza is as competitive as they come, and it is time to put his 2-0 mark with an ERA just over 1 up against someone other than the Orioles.
Jon Lester is off to a suspiciously slow start, going 0-1 with 8 runs allowed in only 10 innings of work.
Tampa to make it 3 straight over their division rival today!
2♦ TAMPA BAY
Chris Jordan
Texas at N.Y. YANKEES (-160)
Just like yesterday, I'm going to go against Nover with his free pick. Sure, I lost the Cardinals yesterday in 20 innings, but the sun shines on a dog's ... well, you get the point.
Today the Yankees are the play against an outmatched Rangers team, especially since the Bronx Bombers are an old-school baseball system play. You'd think a veteran handicapper like Nover would know that since it's one of his mentor's systems. Oh well ...
Before I get to that winner, allow me to remind you who the Big Dawg at this site is, especially now that the junkyard dog has been to put to sleep and removed from this site. And I have a 400♦ winner available right now, as I take a look at Game 1 of the Mavericks/Spurs series. Don't miss that game, plus a 100♦ bonus winner out of the American League. I swept the board yesterday, going 3-0. I'll go 2-0 tonight.
Now, as for the Yankees, who have won three straight, this is a re-focused bunch that is off to its best start since going 9-2 seven years ago. Whether it's stellar pitching or balanced hitting up and down the lineup, the Bombers are playing damn good baseball right now.
Today I'll side with Andy Pettitte, who is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA on the young season after earning his first victory in Tuesday’s Yankee Stadium opener. He scattered five hits over six scoreless innings in a 7-5 win over the Halos.
Texas starter Rich Harden is 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA in six starts against the Yankees, and has no clue how to pitch to this lineup. He'll be done by the fourth.
Take the home team here.
3♦ YANKEES
Jeff Benton
Still on runs of 59-31-2, 46-24-2 and 20-9 with plays that I’m giving away! For Sunday, it’s back to baseball and I’ll play the Indians as a small home favorite over the White Sox.
Since getting blanked 6-0 on Opening Day in Chicago, the Indians have won four straight from the White Sox, including the first two games of this weekend series. In the four defeats, Chicago has mustered just 10 total runs, and it has now scored three runs or fewer in eight of their last 11 contests.
Cleveland has followed up a five-game losing skid by winning three in a row, and the pitching staff has led the way, yielding two runs in each of the three games. Today, the Tribe send Fausto Carmona to the mound, and Carmona has looked great in his first two starts of 2010, giving up a total of five runs on six hits in 14 innings. That includes a 5-3 road win over the White Sox on April 7.
In fact, Cleveland is 6-0 in Carmona’s last six starts against the Pale Hose, with the right-hander giving up a total of nine earned runs in the last five contests covering 32 2/3 innings (2.48 ERA). Meanwhile, Chicago is going with right-hander Gavin Floyd, and here’s all you need to know about Floyd: He gave up four runs on nine hits in six innings in his first road start of the year, losing 4-2 at Toronto on Tuesday, this after 5-8 with a 5.47 ERA in 17 road starts last season (compared with 6-3 with a 2.47 ERA at home).
Also, Chicago is 1-7 in Floyd’s last eight trips to the mound going back to last August, including four straight losses overall. They’ve also lost 13 of his last 16 road starts, including the last five in a row.
4♦ CLEVELAND INDIANS
Scott Delaney
Baltimore at Oakland
Thursday night I nailed the Athletics in the opener of this series.
Friday night I told you to play the Under.
Last night I rolled with the Athletics.
Now 3-0 with this series, might as well finish it out strong ... take the Athletics once again.
Baltimore continues to look sad this season, as it is now 1-11 on the year after yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics. The Orioles have now been outscored 47-20 during a nine-game losing streak in Oakland.
And I don't see them getting anything going against Brett Anderson, who has yet to give up a run in 2010. Can you imagine how pissed he is, coming off a no-decision against the Mariners in a game he deserved much better?
He scattered six hits over six innings and struck out six. In his first start of the season, also against Seattle, he gave up only three hits over six innings and struck out four.
Let's list Anderson and roll with the home team here.
2♦ ATHLETICS
Craig Davis
Siding with the road team getting around 8 points at the time of this writing. Portland will be without Brandon Roy tonight and TFN... and if you remember me telling you all season that when a star player goes out, that team usually covers 70% of the time, it shouldn't surprise you to see me backing the Blazers today. Portland still has plenty of talent with Aldridge, Batum, Miller, Webster and the recently-acquired Marcus Camby (a rebounding machine). Portland plays a deliberate style of basketball, and they will frustrate Phoenix as the Suns want to get up and down the court on every possession. Portland has taken four of the last five vs. Phoenix and is 4-0-1 ATS over those same five games. I like a team that plays defense and can rebound like Portland... that's why I'm backing the Blazers as my free play of the day.
2♦ PORTLAND
Brett Atkins
Today's free play comes from Los Angeles as I'm right back in this series between the Giants and the Dodgers. I'm on a 13-7-2 run with my free plays and today I'm grabbing the plus-money with San Francisco.
San Francisco is off to an outstanding start this season and it’s all thanks to their great pitching.
Of course they have two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum who led a 9-0 win over the Dodgers on Saturday, but today’s starter, Barry Zito, has been nails this season at 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA.
Zito's always been tough on Los Angeles, allowing three runs or less in seven of his last 10 starts against the Dodgers, a team he beat twice last season.
Clayton Kershaw goes for Los Angeles and the Dodgers are just 4-11 in his last 15 starts. They are also just 1-4 in their last five games against a left-handed starter.
The plus-money is just too good to pass up in this one as Zito is the right play today. Play the Giants.
3♦ SAN FRANCISCO
Jay McNeil
Milwaukee at Washington
It's rare to catch the Nationals on any kind of win streak, but here they are having won three in a row and over .500 for the first time in two years.
I'll give em a shot with this one, as I expect them to sweep the series with Milwaukee, after winning the first two games by a combined final of 13-3.
I know starter Jason Marquis has been horrible in his first two starts, but Milwaukee starter Doug Davis has been worse, with a 0-1 mark and 12.27 ERA.
Take the home team here.
2♦ NATIONALS
Joel Tyson
Just missed with the Bulls plus the number yesterday.
Lay it tonight with the streaking Mavericks over the Spurs.
Dallas dispatched San Antonio in 5 games in last year's postseason, and they also come into this game having won and covered the last 3 in the season series against the aging Spurs.
Mavs have won and covered 5 in a row, and 8 of 10 coming into this game, while the Spurs have dropped 3 of their last 5 both SU & ATS, including a regular season-ending 7 point loss at Dallas on Wednesday that helped vault the Mavericks to the # 2 seed in the West.
I think this one could get ugly.
4♦ DALLAS MAVERICKS
Matt Rivers
Take the Giants as the road dog over the Dodgers.
San Francisco will start Barry Zito, who is looking like the old Cy Young award winner from his Oakland days.
The left-hander is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his first two starts.
The Giants as a team have gotten off to a great start, winning eight of their first 11 and currently holding a two-game lead in the division.
The Dodgers are sitting at 5-6 and may be without outfielder Manny Ramirez, who is questionable.
I love the Giants at this price, regardless if it’s on the road.
Take San Fran for the win.
2♦ SAN FRANCISCO
BEN BURNS
New York Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals
PICK: St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals are the biggest favorite on the board today and are far too 'expensive' to qualify as one of my "guaranteed" baseball selections. That said, given the pitching matchup, venue and situation, I feel that the large price is fully justified.
Maine goes for the Mets and he's been brutal. In two starts, he's gone a total of eight innings, giving up 15 hits (3 of them HR's) while walking four batters. That's led to 12 runs, giving him an awful 13.50 ERA and 2.375 WHIP.
Not surprisingly, the Mets lost both those games, falling 11-3 and 7-6. Maine was quoted as saying: "It's hard. I'm doing my stuff in between starts...I just can't put it together...This is awful right now."
That's not exactly the type of confidence you need from your starter when your entire bullpen got used up the previous day. (In case, you didn't hear, these teams played a 20 inning game yesterday.)
Maine, who was used as a pinch-runner in yesterday's marathon, has never had much success against the Cardinals either. Indeed, he's 1-2 with an ugly 6.23 ERA against them. Worse, in his last two appearances here at Busch Stadium, he's allowed 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings.
Note that the Mets are 0-5 in Maine's last five road starts and 3-10 his last 13.
Wainwright, naturally, has been much better than Maine. In fact, he's been very good. He's 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. The Cards won his two starts by a combined score of 11-3. In his lone home starts, he pitched eight shutout innings.
Note that Wainwright has gone a minimum of six complete innings in 18 straight home starts, going seven or more in the majority of those. Being able to count on him for seven or more here is a huge help, given yesterday's marathon.
The Cards are a modestly profitable 33-13 (+2.2) the last 46 times that they were favored in the -225 to -250 range. During the same stretch, the Mets are 2-12 as road underdogs in the +225 to +250 (-7.4) range. Consider laying the wood and if that's too much to stomach, consider taking on the run-line, at -1.5.